Adventures of Paul and Karen

While I was still in bed this morning, Paul took Hannah out for a walk. I didn’t know, that because the front door was wide open, he had closed the bedroom door to lock in Sydney. So when I got up, Sydney went right for the open door, and Hannah bolted in. That was the end of Hannah’s walk. Next thing I knew Sydney was leading Paul around wearing Hannah’s harness. Sydney had gone from asleep with me to a walk in her sister’s harness in a minute flat! [I managed to make the bed unhindered while Paul was walking her.]

Even with two cat walks and a good breakfast, we still managed to leave camp at 8:15am. It helps that I haven’t fully adjusted to Pacific Time.

I can tell we’re in the Bay Area. There was the 18-wheeler that swerved into our lane because the driver was reading; when we snuck past him, he was holding the paper up in front of his face. There’s the heavy traffic along 580 at the 680 interchange, where there’s always the idiot who will not move over until the last minute. There was the little sedan that thought 4 lanes weren’t enough, so he went off the shoulder on the right to get around a slower car. I’m sure when I get home, I’ll be glad to be there!

I forgot: yesterday we bought gas at the Flying J just down the block from the campground. It’s up to $2.859/gallon already.

Paul remembered trouble with highway noise when we were at Newberry Park in La Pine last time. So he pulled far into the RV park and took the site beside the only other camper in the park. The neighbor’s rig and the distance from the highway helped baffle the noise. Paul noticed, however, that we blocked the neighbor’s satellite receiver, so we probably cut off his TV for the night.

It was very cold here. Paul put the heater on this morning when it dropped to 55 degrees in the rig. This morning when he got up it was only 32 degrees outside!

Hannah was very good last night. She didn’t get restless until about 6am. I wish that happened every night! Maybe it was the cold.

After driving a bit this morning, we bought gas at the Pilot in Chemult, OR ($2.899/gallon). Paul drove into the station against the arrows because it was the only way to fit. The attendant just shook his head in disbelief. There were 3 motorcycle riders at the island next to us. One rider appeared to be about 80 years old; his friend looked about 70.

Clear skies today allow scenic views. Snow-capped mountains appear around curves. Waterfowl of all shapes and sizes feed in the lakes, ponds, and irrigation ditches.

Two jets were circling overhead just as we entered California, part of someone’s Independence Day celebration. A few miles later, we stumbled into a traffic jam at the end of the parade in Dorris.

Mt. Shasta is beautiful, as always. I took lots of photos as we approached, all including the bug spatter on the windshield. Here’s one:

We stopped for lunch at the Hi-Lo Café in Weed. It was open, thankfully. Just after we ordered, a group of 11 (mostly teenagers) came in the same time as a family of 7. These were immediately followed by a group of 16 from the after-church crowd: they had to split into 3 tables in various parts of the restaurant. Soon our waiter was so engrossed with others that he actually forgot we were his customers! Someone brought us pie-to-go, a takeout box, and the check anyway!

For future reference, there’s good parking just south of the Hi-Lo Café in front of State Farm [for when we’re headed southbound].

By the time we get home, we will have been on the road for 5 weeks. The day before we get there, we took on a rock that chipped our brand new windshield. The Navajo truck in front of us drifted onto the shoulder, where his tires picked up the rock and spit it at us.

Shasta Lake is down about 5 feet from full capacity. There are lots of boats and houseboats out there today. There’s also road construction at the northern bridge. Do you think they can straighten the road a bit?

Imagine our surprise when we pulled into what was the Flying J in Corning a month ago, but is now a Loves gas station! We won’t be getting any discounts here! And the price, always higher as we get closer to home, is all the way up to $2.989/gallon.

We’re at the Heritage RV Park in Corning for tonight. It’s currently 99 degrees and rising. When Paul plugged in the electricity, the A/C didn’t automatically come on because this morning it was set to heater mode. Today’s temperature went from 32 to 99 degrees!

Sydney wanted a walk, not knowing how hot it was out. I think she knows this place by now. She walked over to the neighboring sewer cap, rolled upside down on it, then got up and rubbed against my leg. Then she found a dead bird. I had to put her inside and dispose of the bird before we could continue the walk. She went straight back to where the bird had been, rolled in the dirt, and rubbed my leg. I think she loves me.

We are just 3 hours from home, after nearly 5 weeks on the road. I think the kitties will be very happy tomorrow afternoon, to be exploring their own territory without harnesses or leashes. Paul and I will probably be happy, too, for the change in routine.